Monday, December 31, 2007

Bay Area Husker ENews 12-06-07

Hey Bay Area Husker Fans!Happy Hannukah to all those celebrating the Jewish holiday (4th-12th). With the announcement of Bo Pelini as head coach, things have been hoppin' back in Lincoln. I added a couple of articles (provided by some of you) that should help us understand how the process is going.

In addition to all the great football news in Lincoln, (and thanks to all of your votes) Tom Osborne has been voted as the Greatest Coach of All Time according to the the ESPN/Citi online poll. Of course we all knew that...but now the rest of the nation will know!

Root for the Volleyball team this weekend as they compete in the next level of competition in Wisconsin. They meet Michigan State tomorrow night at 5 p.m. our time and you can watch the match on www.uwbadgers.com . Assuming they win that match the lady Huskers will meet either Cal or Iowa State on Saturday at 6 p.m. our time and you can watch that game live on ESPNU. See the article below for more details. And assuming they win that match they will be headed for Sacramento the following week for the National semi-finals and the finals to vie for back to back championships. GO HUSKERS! If anyone is interested in joining the group that has already indicated they want to attend the Sacramento matches, let me know and I'll add you to that list.

And don't forget to keep voting for Anne Marie Rye for the Athlon Spirit competition...article and link at the end of this email.

Go Big Red (White and Blue),Carl

==========OSBORNE VOTED GREATEST FOOTBALL COACH OF ALL TIME...(Thanks to all who voted in ESPN's Citi poll)

Lincoln - Former Nebraska football coach and current interim athletic director Tom Osborne was voted the "Greatest Football Coach of All Time" in a recent contest on ESPN.com.

Osborne captured 52 percent of the votes among fans around the world, well ahead of former Alabama Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant, who brought home 35 percent of the vote.

No other coach received as many as 5 percent of the total votes. The distinguished list of coaches featured some of the greatest names in the history of college football, including Knute Rockne, Glen "Pop" Warner, Amos Alonzo Stagg, John Heisman, Eddie Robinson, Woody Hayes, Barry Switzer, Bobby Bowden, Joe Paterno, Lou Holtz, Bo Schembechler, John Robinson, Hayden Fry and John Gagliardi.

In October, Osborne was chosen to receive the 2008 Lifetime Acheivement Award from the Paul "Bear" Bryant Awards committee of the American Heart Association.

Osborne will receive the award at the Paul "Bear" Bryant College Football Coaching Awards Dinner on Thursday, Jan. 17, at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Houston.

The following day, Osborne will be honored by the Nebraska Alumni Association with its highest award, the Founders Medallion, at the 2008 RED Gala in Omaha.

Osborne coached for 25 seasons at Nebraska, earning three national championships and 13 conference titles. He led the Cornhuskers to a bowl appearance in every season and broke Bryant's record of 24 straight postseason trips. Osborne retired following the 1997 season with a 255-49-3 record, the fifth-best winning percentage (.836) in Division I-A history.

In his final five season, NU went 60-3 and won national titles in 1994, 1995 and 1997. He coached 47 first-team All-Americans who won a total of 55 honors. He also guided a pair of Heisman Trophy winners, six Outland winners, one Butkus winner and one Johnny Unitas winner.

A member of the College Football Hall of Fame, Osborne followed his 36-year career as a football coach by winning a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in Nebraska's third district in 2000. He served three terms in Congress, before being named Nebraska's interim athletic director on Oct. 16.==========

Now comes the chance to learn from another mentor. This will be fascinating to watch - Pelini and Tom Osborne. The brash and admittedly emotional former Ohio State free safety learning from the famously calm and understated former congressman and legendary coach. Together they will try to pull Nebraska from the depths of a startling football depression that sometimes seems surreal.

Pelini will notice everything about Osborne, if the 39-year-old Pelini is as wise as he seems.

Some will say it's an odd couple. Well, Bob Devaney and Osborne were disparate personalities who seemed to mesh OK.

People often forget Osborne was a fiery coach in his younger days. However, few have forgotten Pelini angrily confronting Bill Snyder in 2003. People remind Pelini of the incident at seemingly every turn. In fact, he was reminded just before dinnertime Sunday, as he was announced as Nebraska's 28th head football coach.

Surely the Snyder situation was the impetus behind the reporter's question: Your emotions and passions, will you have to temper them now? After all, goes the line of thinking, Pelini's now a head coach for the first time.

Pelini paused. He chuckled. It was a nervous chuckle. He started to answer, then paused. It was sort of uncomfortable for a few seconds.

No problem. Pelini's newest mentor was sitting right behind him. Pelini turned and looked at Osborne, as if seeking guidance. Osborne shrugged his shoulders, as if to say, "You're on your own on this one, young fella."

Everyone laughed and comfort returned.

Let the Pelini era begin.

"I'm going to be who I am," Pelini said. "I'm not going to change."

He repeated it for emphasis.

"Bo Pelini's not going to change."

The native of Youngstown, Ohio, is a boxing fan and a devoted family man. He enjoys Bruce Springsteen and coaching defense. Baby, he was born to lead (my apologies to The Boss). At least that's what virtually every one of his former players will tell you. They'll tell you he has a natural way of inspiring them. Maybe it's his glare, or his tough-guy persona, or his ultraconfident demeanor, or his sheer intelligence. He's whip-smart.

Whatever the case, he gets players to play hard.

"If you don't play hard, you don't have much of a chance," said Osborne, the most powerful interim athletic director in the history of college sport.

Consider this particular hire. Consider the ramifications. How much farther can Nebraska football sink before it permanently becomes a mere shadow of its former power, prestige and utter brilliance? There's plenty of pressure here, folks.

It's interesting that Osborne is entrusting his beloved program to a first-time head coach. He said he hired Pelini after considering "a lot of well-qualified people," including Turner Gill, the beloved former Husker quarterback whom Osborne adores like a family member. Gill, 45, is showing signs of becoming a top-shelf major-college coach.

However, Osborne analyzed the program and determined defense, or lack thereof, topped the list of concerns

"As you know, occasionally you'll win a game if you give up 50 points, but you're not going to win many," Osborne said.

In coming days, Pelini will turn on film of Nebraska's games this season and the new Husker coach will be repulsed. He will see a team that struggled to adjust on the fly. Worse, he will see a defense that too often lacked energy. That too often played with little-to-no passion. Its ineptitude was stunning at times.

Pelini may not be as smooth with the media as Bill Callahan. Callahan sounds like a corporate CEO at times. Pelini is more of a salt-of-the-earth type. Yes, it sounds trite, but Pelini is a people person. He's a notorious prankster. He likes being around players. He means it when he says he'll have an open-door policy. His players seem to trust him and enjoy playing for him, which probably explains why they swarm to the ball and force turnovers - Pelini trademarks.

Never will a Pelini defense (or team) play without emotion.

Pelini is only half-joking when he tells friends with a straight face that he's the only one who can handle this mission. He has a way of expressing confidence that's much more endearing than it is a turnoff. Nebraska needs his confidence badly right now.

Some will say Nebraska needed a veteran head coach right now, someone who's been there, done that in a power conference. But given the Huskers' immediate needs, Pelini fits well - right man, right time.

Hard decisions loom. What type of offense will he employ? For now, he says only that Nebraska will be "very multiple." Reading between lines, it appears Pelini and Osborne may favor an offense that resembles the one in place, meaning Shawn Watson may well be in line for offensive coordinator. Stay tuned.

Will Pelini continue to coach Louisiana State's defense as it prepares for the national title game? That's a tough call, he says. Again, stay tuned.

Pelini's first day as Nebraska head coach seemed to go well. He passed the news conference test with flying colors. It was especially nice to hear Pelini acknowledge Solich, who hired Pelini in 2003 to revive the Huskers' defense.

"I think people along the way have forgotten how important he was to Nebraska and what he did over a long period of time," said Pelini, who now begins the challenging task of trying to restore and invigorate an entire program.

==========Pelini will have to adjust to role of recruiter as head coach December 3, 2007Associated Press

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) -- As a recruiter, new Nebraska coach Bo Pelini doesn't have a good or bad reputation.

He really has no reputation, recruiting analysts say.

As defensive coordinator at Oklahoma and LSU, his charge was figuring out how to use players rather than how to acquire them.

Pelini's first task at Nebraska will be to keep in the fold players who have verbally committed to the Cornhuskers and then add to the class.

Pelini said Sunday he's eager to get started recruiting. Analysts say it's one of the biggest adjustments he'll have to make as a first-time head coach.

"It's just a question of want," said Jamie Newberg, an analyst for Scout.com who specializes in the Southeast. "Does he want to be that active, be front and center, meet everybody and have that recruit-recruit-recruit type of personality? It's a huge commitment every day. That's what it's going to take."

Pelini said his recruiting role at LSU was as a closer. He made home visits to prospects, outlined their potential roles at LSU and secured pledges.

"He was not the type of coach who would build a relationship with players over weeks and months," Newberg said Monday.

Jeremy Crabtree, national recruiting editor for Rivals.com, said Pelini is well-respected by high school coaches. The fact he hasn't gone on the road to do a lot of recruiting in recent years doesn't mean he wouldn't be good at it.

"He's just been in a position the last few years where he didn't have to be a monster recruiter," Crabtree said.

It is not uncommon for offensive and defensive coordinators to play peripheral roles in recruiting.

The key to Pelini's recruiting success will be the position coaches he hires. Pelini said he planned to quickly assemble his staff.

"There's a lot that has to be done as far as recruiting goes," he said Sunday. "It's going to be a process of everyone getting their collective efforts together and making sure we head this thing in the right direction."

The role of head coaches in recruiting has changed over the years, Newberg said.

Coaches such as Nebraska's Tom Osborne and Florida State's Bobby Bowden were great closers. But closing the deal is a small fraction of the job now, Newberg said, because the process moves much faster.

"Now the head coaches have to be on the road during the May evaluation period with their assistants," Newberg said. "You've got to be seen, you've got to be heard, you've got to be everywhere. More teams are offering (scholarships) early, doing earlier evaluations, and kids are committing earlier."

Former coach Bill Callahan came to Nebraska with the reputation as an outstanding recruiter from his days at Wisconsin and Illinois. Callahan relished the chase for players and would go after the top prospects across the nation.

"That was Coach Callahan's strong suit," Newberg said. "They put a lot of effort into recruiting. But that's what it takes no matter where you are."

Pelini said he would re-establish Nebraska's in-state recruiting efforts and ramp up the walk-on program. Those are good ideas, Crabtree said.

"Callahan was all over the map," Crabtree said. "We're going to see a more concentrated effort with Nebraska, the Midwest, Texas. And they'll spot recruit some areas. I like that formula. It's a good way to have success early on."

Newberg said Pelini has learned from some of the best recruiters in the nation, having worked with Oklahoma's Bob Stoops and LSU's Les Miles.

Pelini also has a great resource in Osborne, the interim athletic director and a highly respected recruiter during a 25-year Nebraska coaching career in which he averaged 10 wins a season and won three national championships.

Just as important as recruiting players, Crabtree said, will be recruiting assistant coaches.

"Whoever he surrounds himself with will go a long way to how he gets judged as a recruiter," Crabtree said.==========

ASSISTANT COACHES RETURN TO NEBRASKA (got this from a Lincoln source...Thanks Mark!)...

It's official, Barney Cotton, Ron Brown and Marvin Sanders have returned to the Big Red as assistants. Coach Cotton's son, a tight end, has changed his mind and has de-committed from Louisville in order to be a Husker.

==========2008 HUSKER SCHEDULE DATE CHANGES ANNOUNCED...

Nebraska has announced that there will be date changes for 2008 home games against Virginia Tech and Western Michigan.

The previously scheduled Sept. 27 game against Western Michigan has been moved to Aug. 30 and will be the first game of Bo Pelini’s coaching tenure at Nebraska. Nebraska’s game with Virginia Tech will now be played on Sept. 27 instead of the originally scheduled Sept. 20 date. Television announcements for the two games will be made at a later date, but the Nebraska-Virginia Tech game will air on ABC, ESPN or FSN. The move allows Nebraska an early-season open date on Sept. 20.

The Huskers will open the 2008 campaign with five consecutive home games, marking the second time in four seasons NU has played its first five games at home. Following the Aug. 30 opener with Western Michigan, Nebraska will play host to San Jose State on Sept. 6 and New Mexico State on Sept. 13. Following a week off, Nebraska will conclude its five-game homestand against Virginia Tech on Sept. 27 and Missouri on Oct. 4.

In addition to the five home games to open the season, Nebraska will also entertain Baylor (Oct. 25), Kansas (Nov. 8) and Colorado (Nov. 28/29). The home schedule features three games against teams ranked in the top eight of the final BCS standings (Kansas, Missouri, Virginia Tech). Nebraska’s road games next year include trips to Texas Tech, Iowa State, Oklahoma and Kansas State.

2010 Husker Schedule FinalizedNebraska has also announced that it has finalized the 2010 football schedule with the completion of contracts for three non-conference home games that season.

Nebraska will play host to contests against Western Kentucky (Sept. 4), Idaho (Sept. 11) and South Dakota State (Sept. 25) adding those games to a previously announced non-conference matchup with Washington in Seattle on Sept. 18, 2010. All of those contracts were finalized earlier this fall.

The Huskers will open the 2010 campaign against Western Kentucky in Memorial Stadium. A member of the Sun Belt Conference, Western Kentucky is a long-time Division I-AA power, which is making the transition to the Football Bowl Subdivision. The Hilltoppers won the 2002 I-AA national title, but will be a full member of the Bowl Subdivision in the 2009 season. The Hilltoppers are coached by Dave Elson, who owns a 37-22 record in five seasons in Bowling Green, Ky., including a 7-5 mark in 2007.

A week following the first-ever matchup with WKU, the Huskers will meet Idaho for the first time on Sept. 11, 2010. Rob Akey just completed his first season as head coach at Idaho. The Vandals have a recent history of taking on top opponents. In 2007, the Vandals’ non-conference schedule included games at USC and Washington State, adding to non-conference games since 2004 against Michigan State, Oregon State, Washington and Oregon.

After the trip to Washington, Nebraska will complete non-conference play against South Dakota State on Sept. 25. The Jackrabbits finished 2007 with a 7-4 record and won the Great West Conference title. SDSU won its final five games of the season, while their four losses were by a total of 26 points, including three by six or fewer points. South Dakota State will move to the Gateway Conference in 2008. The Jackrabbits open the 2008 season at Iowa State and have 2009 game at Minnesota.

Following its non-conference schedule, Nebraska will open Big 12 play at Kansas State on Oct. 2. The Huskers have also completed their 2009 non-conference schedule.

The Nebraska volleyball team heads north to continue its quest for its second straight national title, as the Huskers travel to Madison, Wis., for the NCAA Madison Regional this weekend. The Huskers will depart Lincoln on Wednesday afternoon for the regional which begins Friday evening at the UW Field House.

No. 2 Nebraska (29-1) will take on No. 24 Michigan State (21-13) in the evening’s second semifinal, scheduled for 5 p.m. PST or 30 minutes following the conclusion of the first match between No. 18 Iowa State (19-13) and No. 6 California (24-7). The winners will face off in the regional title match Saturday night at 6 p.m. PST with a berth to the national semfinals in Sacramento on the line. All-session tickets are on sale through the University of Wisconsin Ticket Office (800-GO BADGERS or uwbadgers.com) and are $12 for adults and $8 for students, youths and seniors.

Friday's match can be viewed on www.uwbadgers.com for free, while Saturday's televised match will not be carried over the Internet. All of Nebraska's postseason contests can be heard across Nebraska on the Husker Sports Network and for free on the Internet at Huskers.com.

The Huskers head to their 14th consecutive regional following impressive sweeps over South Dakota State and Wichita State last weekend. Nebraska used strong serving and blocking, averaging 3.50 service aces and 3.67 blocks per game in the two wins. NU reached double figures in aces in consecutive matches for only the second time in the last four seasons and has averaged 2.71 aces per game over the last seven matches.The Huskers are 72-22 (.766) in 26 NCAA Tournament appearances and have won 13 of the last 14 NCAA Tournament matches dating back to 2005. NU is 28-12 all-time in NCAA regional play, reaching the national semifinals on 10 occasions, most recently in 2006.

Worth Noting

•-Nebraska is making its 26th NCAA Tournament appearance in 2007, a total which ties for third among all Division I programs. Only Penn State and Stanford have longer streaks, as those two schools have qualified for all 27 NCAA Championships. NU’s streak is easily the longest among Big 12 teams.

•-The Huskers’ streak of 14 straight NCAA Regionals is the longest active in the country, as only three programs (Nebraska, UCLA and Penn State) have advanced to an NCAA Regional in each of the past five seasons. NU is 26-12 all-time in NCAA regionals.

•-The Big 12 has turned in an impressive showing in the NCAA Tournament, going 8-3 in the first two rounds and placing three teams in the NCAA Regional for the second straight season. Big 12 teams went 5-1 in the first round with only Missouri’s five-game loss at No. 6 seed Washington. It marks the third time in the last five seasons (2003, 2006, 2007) and the fifth time in Big 12 history that three teams advanced to a regional.

•-The Big 12 had six teams in the 2007 NCAA Tournament field (Nebraska, Texas, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Iowa State and Missouri), which equaled the most by any conference. The Big 12 was the only conference with two of the four regional No. 1 seeds (Nebraska and Texas).

•-This weekend’s trip to Madison marks the first regional that Nebraska has ever participated in without the host institution being present. It also marks only the fourth time since the NCAA pre-determined seeds in 2003 that the host did not advance to a regional. Including 2007, hosts have reached a regional 75 percent of the time (15-of-20).

•-NU finished 16-0 at the NU Coliseum in 2007, which marked the 17th time - and fifth time in eight years - that NU has had a perfect home record.

•-NU will look to reach the 30-win plateau for the fourth straight year and the 19th time in school history on Friday against Michigan State. During the 11 years of Big 12 competition, the Huskers have reached 30 wins eight times, while the other 10 teams in the league have accomplished the feat once - Kansas State in 2003.

•-According to research by Rich Kern, Nebraska’s 15-1 record against the other NCAA Tournament qualifiers is the best of any team in the NCAA Tournament field. Nebraska’s 16 matches against NCAA Tournament teams trailed only Stanford, which played 17 contests against NCAA qualifiers during the regular season.

•-Seniors Sarah Pavan, Christina Houghtelling and Tracy Stalls became the second group of seniors to win four straight Big 12 titles, joining the 2002 senior class of Greichaly Cepero, Amber Holmquist, Laura Pilakowski and Lindsay Wischmeier.

•-Sarah Pavan and Tracy Stalls could finish their careers during one of the most successful eras in college volleyball history. They have been a part of a national championship team (2006), two national championship matches (2005-06) and four Big 12 titles (2004-06). Here is a look at the winningest classes in school history during the NCAA era.

•-Nebraska has won 22 of its last 23 matches against ranked foes going back to the start of the 2006 season. The Huskers are 85-12 (.876) against ranked teams in eight seasons under John Cook.

•-Nebraska has held its last seven opponents to .086 hitting dating back to Nov. 11.

•-Christina Houghtelling is four kills shy of 1,000, while Sarah Pavan needs 26 kills to be the first Husker with 2,000 kills.

==========

FIVE HUSKERS EARN ALL-REGION HONORS...Sophomore Rachel Holloway was one of Nebraska's five first-team all-region selections.

Lincoln – Five University of Nebraska volleyball players were honored, as the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) announced its all-region teams Wednesday afternoon.

Nebraska had five first-team Central Region selections – Rachel Holloway, Christina Houghtelling, Jordan Larson, Sarah Pavan and Tracy Stalls – as the Huskers were the only program in the nation to have five first-team all-region selections. The five players are now eligible for AVCA All-America honors, which will be announced next Wednesday.

The list is headed by senior right-side hitter Sarah Pavan, who was selected for the fourth consecutive year. Pavan, a three-time Big 12 Player of the Year and 2006 AVCA National Player of the Year, averages 4.88 kills, 1.91 digs and 0.52 service aces per game, pacing the Big 12 in kills and points per game (5.80), ranking second in aces and eighth in hitting percentage (.353). She is bidding to become only the fourth player in NCAA Division I history to be a four-time first-team All-American.

Holloway is an all-region selection for the second straight season, guiding a Husker offense that tops the nation in kills (17.91) and assists (16.55) per game and ranks third in hitting percentage (.331). On the year, she averages 13.66 assists, 2.28 digs and 0.98 kills per game, ranking ninth nationally in assists. She helped NU hit .300 or better 24 times in 30 matches against one of the most difficult schedules in the country, including five matches of .400 hitting or better.

Houghtelling collects her second all-region selection of her career, as she was the 2005 AVCA National Player of the Year. Houghtelling, who was the Big 12’s Defensive Player of the Year, averages 3.15 kills on .311 hitting and a team-high 4.02 digs per game, ranking seventh among conference players and first among outside hitters in the league. She is also 10th in the Big 12 with 0.30 aces per game.

Larson earns her second consecutive all-region nod after averaging 3.44 kills, 3.24 digs and 0.53 service aces per game. She leads the Big 12 in aces per game and ranking ninth in points per game (4.42). Larson totaled a team-high 10 double-doubles this year and is only the third player in school history to total 1,000 kills and 1,000 assists.

Stalls rounds out the five first-team honorees, as she collects her second straight all-region honor. The senior middle blocker leads the Big 12 and ranks third nationally in hitting percentage (.471), averaging 2.83 kills and 1.13 blocks per game. She is on pace to shatter NU’s single-season record for hitting percentage and become just the second Husker to hit over .400 in consecutive seasons. Stalls hit .500 or better in 13 matches and totaled double figures in kills 11 times, including each of the last five matches.

Among the teams upset was Wisconsin, the host of this weekend's Madison Regional. The defending champion Cornhuskers (29-1) had anticipated playing the Badgers in front of a large crowd in the regional final.

Now, if the second-seeded Huskers beat Michigan State (21-13) on Friday, they'll see either Iowa State (19-13) or No. 10 California (24-7) on Saturday.

Cook coached Wisconsin, 1992-98, before joining Terry Pettit's staff at Nebraska. He took over as head coach in 2000.

"It's a bummer Wisconsin is not in it, because I think that will take away a little from the excitement of the regional, what it could be," Cook said.

Nebraska cruised through the first two rounds with three-game sweeps of South Dakota State and Wichita State in Lincoln last weekend.

Michigan State, which finished fifth in the Big 10, is in a regional semifinal for the first time since 2002 after knocking off No. 15 Dayton in three games.

California beat No. 22 Duke in four games to advance to Friday's match against Iowa State, which is in regionals for the first time.

The Cyclones, coached by former Nebraska setter Christy Johnson, is one of the hottest teams in the tournament. They upset No. 16 San Diego in the first round, then knocked off No. 7 Wisconsin on the Badgers' floor.

"Watching some of these other good teams get upset, I guess it does just kind of show that it is possible," two-year Nebraska captain Tracy Stalls said. "We need to make sure we stay on it."Nebraska swept Iowa State twice this season and have won all 72 matches against the Cyclones since 1975.

Kori Cooper said history doesn't count for much.

"They have a lot of heart, and they fight, and you can never count them out," she said.

Iowa State hasn't lost since a five-game defeat to Big 12 co-champion Texas on Nov. 21. The Cyclones led the fifth game 14-9 before losing 18-16.

"What's remarkable is how they bounced back after that," Cook said. "Many teams would just tank. You get so close to a win and give it away. But they've come back even stronger from it.

The question will be whether they can keep it going or if they're just happy to get to the sweet 16."

The Huskers encountered difficulty in last year's regional final in Gainesville, Fla., rallying to beat Minnesota in five games after losing the first two. Earlier that season, Nebraska had beaten the Gophers in four games.

"We learned that it's going to be a tough regional no matter who you're playing," Cook said. "You know it could go four or five games, so be ready for a battle. The reminder is, if you're not ready to play in this tournament right now, anybody can beat anybody. That's why we feel that sense of urgency. It doesn't matter who we're playing. We're going to have to play great."___

Nebraska Head Coach Mike Anderson announced his fall recruiting class on Tuesday.

Lincoln –Nebraska Baseball Coach Mike Anderson announced Tuesday that 13 student-athletes have signed National Letters-of-Intent to play baseball at Nebraska during the recently completed fall signing period.

The class includes nine high school seniors and four junior college transfers and comprises recruits from six states (Colorado, Kansas, Missouri Nebraska, Texas and Washington).

“I am excited about the class we have put together and the methods and energy from both our recruits and from Dave (Bingham) and Eric (Newman),” Anderson said. “They worked very hard to find young men that understood what we were looking for in Nebraska baseball.”

The class is highlighted by a trio of in-state performers in Jake Kuebler (Lincoln Southeast), Kash Kalkowski (Grand Island) and Nick Ludemann (LaVista and Creighton Prep). Both Kuebler and Kalkowski were both all-state performers who could be used as two-way players at Nebraska, while Ludemann is considered one of the state’s top high school pitching prospects.

“We really liked them and had targeted them early in the recruiting process. We are excited they selected Nebraska,” Anderson said. “We were very impressed with all three of their work habits and they all have the tools to enjoy success in this program during their college years.”

Anderson called this class as a whole “very athletic” but was more impressed with other key attributes of this group of student-athletes.

“The biggest thing besides the talent they possess is their character and leadership abilities,” Anderson said. “They are high-character kids and many of them have been leaders on their teams in high school or at the junior college level. They already have an understanding of what it takes to be successful at the next level.”

Vote now for Anne Marie Rye in the championship round of the Athlon Sports Sideline Spirit Contest.

Lincoln – Nebraska cheerleader Anne Marie Rye will represent the Huskers and the Big 12 Conference in the final round of this year’s Athlon Sports Sideline Spirit contest. Voting for the final round begins on Saturday, Dec. 1 at midnight and will run through 11:59 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 21. No registration is necessary to vote and there is no limit to the number of times a person can vote.

The Athlon Sports Sideline Spirit Contest is entering its fifth year and is one of the most popular programs on our website. This year’s sponsor, JVC, adds broad national exposure and promotion for this competition. Contestants were chosen from across the country to participate in the contest, which began with the kickoff of the college football season in September.

The contest was divided into four rounds, featuring seven cheerleaders or dancers in each round (one from each BCS conference and one non-BCS representative).

Rye, a Lincoln native, earned nearly 150,000 votes to win the second round of the contest. Voting for the second round ended on Oct. 13, and Husker fans pushed Rye into the finals by more than 27,000 votes ahead of second-place Taylor Nix from Florida State.

Rye automatically advanced to the championship round by receiving the most votes in the second round. The winner of the championship round wins the overall contest.

Rye, a junior communications major from Lincoln, will try to become the second Husker to win the Athlon Sideline Spirit Contest. In 2004, former Husker Cheer Squad member Chelsea Kimmerling captured the honor. The nursing major from Beatrice, Neb., received more than 95,000 votes, nearly 36,000 votes ahead of the runner-up from North Carolina State.

The 2007 Athlon Sports Sideline Spirit Contest winner will be featured in the 2008 Athlon Sports College Football annuals and her school's spirit squad will receive $1,000, plus 2 JVC Camcorders, a 42-inch LCD JVC TV and a JVC Portable Kaboom Box.